SEARCH FOR RESOURCES
This guide provides engaging activities and challenges to be used for youth-serving summer programs, whether running virtually or in-person, or to send digitally to families. It is organized to support four different age groups (5-9), (10-12), (13-15), (16-18). The first unit was released May 27, 2020 and subsequent units will be released in two-week increments. Unit 1 is Why I Am which is arts focused; Unit 2 is Healthy Life for physical and mental health activities; Unit 3 is Passion and Purpose on service learning; Unit 4 is Invention and Imagination with a focus on STEM and arts; and Unit 5 is Exploring My World on cultures. Also included is a guide on implementation and on safety considerations for virtual programming. This resource supports the COVID-19 response.
This report offers information to aid summer learning leaders in securing and maintaining support for programs. It summarizes lessons learned from interviews with 60 school district staff and 20 policy experts on federal, state, city, and district funding and policies. It includes a list of federal funding, and examples of state and city funding streams and how these impact sustainability, scale, and quality, as well as recommendations to advance those goals. This resource supports the COVID-19 response.
The National Center on Afterschool and Summer Enrichment (NCASE) has developed a number of resources focused on promoting school-age children’s learning and development in the summer months. This publication, NCASE Summer Resources, is part of a series compiling NCASE resources on a particular theme for the benefit of state, territory, and tribal Lead Agencies and their designated networks. The goal is to promote professional development and capacity building.
Resources include archived webinars, tip sheets for providers and parents and caregivers, and a toolkit. Questions for reflection and action steps that are part of the publication suggest ways to use the resources.
On March 11, 2020, the National Center for Afterschool and Summer Enrichment hosted the webinar, “Supporting a Strong Out-of-School Time Workforce: An Introduction to the Out-of-School Time (OST) Professional Development System Building Toolkit.” The toolkit was designed to assist states as they build and strengthen professional development systems inclusive of school-age providers. During the webinar, participants were introduced to the toolkit, which is organized into sections on Foundational Ideas, Career Development System Components, and Supporting and Sustaining the Workforce. They heard from states who are implementing workforce strategies inclusive of school-age, and learned how they can use the toolkit to support their states’ efforts to build a strong workforce.
This site links to critical information and supports, including HHS-ACF resources such as guidance for preparing workplaces and helping communities know mitigation strategies. It includes information about stimulus funding through CARES, CRRSA, and ARPA. It also includes a memorandum on Flexibility in Spending CCDF Funds and the archive of the Office of Child Care COVID-19 CCDF Administrators National Webinar. It was published on March 13, 2020 and updated on August 19, 2021. This resource supports the COVID-19 response.
This checklist for Local Education Agencies and early childhood providers highlights ways to help homeless families during the COVID-19 pandemic. It illuminates ways to identify and communicate with homeless families, ensure health, safety, and basic needs, and provide access to learning. This resource supports the COVID-19 response.
This toolkit provides parents and other caregivers ways to support their children’s learning outside of the classroom. It was updated March 13, 2020. It offers a range of different types of free online resources that can help children continue to build critical literacy skills at home or in group care, especially while schools are closed. Targeted ages vary by resource. Resources address science, math, and music literacy as well as reading and writing literacy. This resource supports the COVID-19 response.
Coaching is one of the most effective ways to support staff and to improve program quality. With its focus on relationships, strengths-based practices, communication, and coaching strategies like reflective practice and building leadership capacity, this guide could be very helpful for leaders of programs in any stage of development. It could be useful, for example, to new or expanded essential service programs as well as for coaches that are supporting programs as they focus on re-opening after the corona virus outbreak. This resource supports the COVID-19 response.
This guide includes a list of articles and resources to help leaders be resilient and address operational and financial problems due to COVID-19 and other crises. Resources include a podcast on nonprofit collaboration, fundraising in tough times, and a series on the the connection between well-being and social change. This resource supports the COVID-19 response.
The transition to kindergarten is an important milestone in a young child’s life. While this transition is often accompanied by much excitement and anticipation, it can also bring uncertainty and anxiety as children face changes on multiple levels. The range of reactions felt by children also affects their parents and caregivers, as they think about the changes that lie ahead and work with their children to prepare for the transition.
The National Center on Afterschool and Summer Enrichment (NCASE) has developed a research brief, Navigating the Transition to Kindergarten and School-Age Care, on this topic that is so important for young children, their families, and other stakeholders. This brief builds on existing guidance about supporting children and families during the transition to kindergarten by broadening the way parents and stakeholders think about this transition to include the school-age programs many young children attend.
A companion webinar on this topic, with a particular emphasis on how the transition to kindergarten can can affect the whole family and involve the need for out-of-school time care was hosted by NCASE on June 3, 2020. It can be found here: https://childcareta.acf.hhs.gov/ncase-resource-library/navigating-transition-kindergarten-and-school-age-care-webinar